Analysis Of Daphne Scholinski's The Last Time I Wore A Dress

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What does it mean to be “inappropriately female” and what are the consequences for Daphne? To understand how being “inappropriately female” was coded in Daphne Scholinski’s The Last Time I Wore A Dress we have to understand when this was happening. In the early 80’s when Scholinski was growing up acts of sexual and gender nonconformity were not seen as acceptable ways of identifying. Laws surrounding criminalization of gender identification and sexual orientation were just beginning to be changed and public opinion on the matter was still catching up. Daphne’s nonconformity came from all directions. She’d always been a tomboy growing up, played sports, hung out with the guys, and didn’t behave. She wasn’t the calm, quiet, or followed the rules. …show more content…

While in the Townhouse patients earn points for doing good behavior in efforts to go up in levels and earn more privileges. This structure is something the Daphne sees as workable and wants to be able to go outside by herself so she makes it her goal to gather as many points as possible. She carries her points sheet around with her everywhere, always seeking an opportunity to advance her points. Instead of the doctors and nurses seeing this as her taking initiative or wanting to earn the privilege to go outside alone they say that she’s being OCD, only because she’s already in an environment where having yet another diagnosis was common …show more content…

She first lies to doctors about substance abuse landing her support groups for substance abuse and a program to help her stay sober. This isn’t productive for Daphne and she grew tired of being bunched up with the addicts. She decides to come clean, of conscious and recant her exaggerated tales of alcohol and drug abuse before she was admitted into psychiatric care. This is however not seen as her coming clean, she isn’t better, the staff and patients believe the opposite in fact. Her pleas of sobriety and confessions of previous lies are seen as an addict denying their problem and a symptom of her substance abuse; incapable of admitting to herself and others that she has a

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